ABSTRACT
Limits of stability is required to perform functional activities and other advanced tasks of life without losing balance, and assessment of limits of stability is essential in clinical practice. Forward, Lateral, and Oblique direction reach tests are clinical balance tests that assess limits of stability, and these reach distances in various directions may be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The aim was to establish the symmetry between various reach distances on three reach tests and to establish the concurrent validity of oblique, forward, and lateral direction reach test distances with limits of stability measured by the Iso Free machine of TecnoBody company. METHODS: The measurements of oblique, forward, and lateral reach tests and limits of stability excursions of center of pressure were taken in eight directions on Iso Free machine of Techno Body in fifty typical college-going young adults who were recruited through convenience sampling. Pearson correlation test was used to find the relationship between forward, lateral, and oblique direction reaches and limits of stability in forward, lateral, and oblique directions. Regression analysis was used to find the factors influencing the forward, lateral, and oblique reach tests. RESULTS: The reach distances were symmetrical, and out of the three tests, the lateral and oblique direction reach tests have a moderate positive correlation with limits of stability test in lateral and oblique directions with an r-value of 0.569 (p < 0.001) and 0.50 (p < 0.001) respectively. A Significant standardized beta value of 0.49 (p < 0.05) for the oblique direction reach test with total stability limits. CONCLUSIONS: The oblique and lateral direction reach tests are correlated with their respective center of pressure excursion. However, the oblique direction reach test moderately correlated with the total limits of stability scores. Forward reach distances were more in number followed by oblique and lateral reach distances among young Saudi adults.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Quality of life (QOL) among disabled children and their caregivers is an important concern in healthcare. We aim to evaluate the quality of life among caregivers of children with cerebral palsy and to observe the effects of various demographic factors and affected child-related factors on caregivers' quality of life. Patients and Methods: After ethical approval and written consent was obtained from the participants. One hundred six caregivers of children with cerebral palsy from the Asir region were recruited for the study. Caregivers provided details, including their demographic characteristics, social factors, and information regarding their affected children regarding age, gender, mobility levels, etc. They also completed the Arabic version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire for assessing their QOL. Results: All the caregivers were women; their mean age was 40.38 years and SD7.09, and the overall QOL mean and standard deviations were 66.38 ± 12.88. There was a moderately significant correlation between total QOL in comparison with caregivers' educational level and mobility capacity, with R values of 0.54 (p<0.001) and 0.62 (p<0.001), respectively. Conclusion: All the subdomains of WHOQOL-BREF were found to be very closely related to the total scores for QOL. The caregivers of children with cerebral palsy had better QOL scores than the cutoff scores proposed in the WHOQOL-BREF scale. Factors such as increased mobility and education of the affected child contributed to better total QOL scores.
